Rain
by Sobeitsaidhe
Summary: Such is the Labyrinth, ever full of twists and turns.
1. Chapter 1

I actually wrote this on December 10th, 2010. It's high time that it saw the light of day. It is inspired by Another Rainy Night by Queensryche.

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><p>Jareth looked out over his labyrinth, a small crystal in his hand. The night air was cool, and bit at him slightly despite his hi-collared coat. The stars mocked him<br>with their brightness, even though things seemed so dark and much colder to him. Through the crystal, he watched her turn over in her sleep, seeming quite content without him. While it had only been a year in her world, it had seemed like so much more to him, like eons. He gently ran a gloved finger across the surface of the crystal, and in a sudden fit of rage threw it across the room, where it shattered into a wave of glitter on the flagstones.

Things were so stale now; she often called on her other friends, yet she had made no mention of him, not even as she slept. Of course, she must not consider him anything – she had cast him as the villain in her little tale, and it seemed that was where he would stay.

The candles that had lit his room had long burned out, the flames managing to singe their pedestals before finally succumbing to their eventual fate. The last meal he'd had brought to his room (how long ago?) had grown cold, and he felt no desire to keep up what little strength he had remaining. She had taken everything he had to give her, and at the same time had refused everything. He fought valiantly against the urge to scream as loudly as he could; to conjure another crystal and hope that through her dreams she might hear him demand to know why he meant so little to her when she meant so much to him...  
>Finally, loosening the grip he'd had on his hair, he slid against the wall in the corner of his room and decided that he would wait ...wait for her to call for him. He would not conjure another crystal to watch her, it would only make him more frustrated. After several hours, he finally fell asleep, and unbeknownst to him, in her sleep, she whispered what he had wanted to hear most from her – his name.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Dreams are sometimes like crystals. They are clear, touchable and finite. But, as soon as you brush against one to grasp them, the roll from your fingers

and shatter, spreading all that remains of your wishes for the future into the air – and it is all you can do to watch the wind carry them away. My little Sarah

– you were my crystal. Seventeen when we met, and such a little spitfire! You were full of all the wonders of the world, so full of life! And so eager to prove

me wrong, to save your brother from me. Can you not see what I have done for you? Helped you to realize that the life you thought so horrible was such a

wonderful gift. I was proud of you for not taking the crystal the first time I offered it to you – you would have learned nothing. But ah, you, the one ever

eager for adventure, and with the drive to protect your brother, even if he made you terribly angry – that is the wonder of you. Watching you coil your way

through my labyrinth, and learn so much. Such a clever thing you are. And where are you now? I see that you have lost that gleam, that joy of life. So very

much like a crystal. Pure, unadulterated beauty, offset by nothing, looking ever your best in the full sunlight, and even in the pale glimmer of moonlight. Yes,

how very much like a crystal, so full of dreams, as you were mine. Oh, how we have both shattered, you and I... So dark now...

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><p>Turning fitfully, Sarah tried to sleep. It was hard to believe that the energy she had been so full of the year before had trickled away so quickly. She could<p>

not help but wonder what the final crystal Jareth had offered her had held within it. What sort of dreams did he have, if he knew enough of her to offer hers?

And yet, he had given them to her all he same. The confidence and skill she needed to achieve her goals in school, and the drive to make it all possible. She

was even having a better relation ship with her stepmother. Toby's crying did not bother her nearly as much as it used to, and yet something was wrong.

She felt that she may have dreamed the whole thing - she dreamed about Ludo, Sir Didymus sometimes, and every once in a while, Hoggle was there to.

Sarah could not help but wonder why she had not seen Jareth. Was it something she had to do? It made little sense, and she would rather run the Labyrinth

several more times than deal with all of this wondering, the never knowing. If nothing else, she did not want Jareth to be a dream. Despite everything, it

seemed as though he'd had a reason for everything he did to her, even though she still hadn't managed to figure out a way to justify the cleaners. She

missed his manner of speaking, the way he could seem so distant, and yet still lead her in the right direction. Looking back, she saw that he had a bit more

child in him than she did, but it didn't bother her too much. Sarah sighed rather loudly, and could hear Toby murmur in his crib as she turned to lay on her

back.

Closing her eyes, she tried to remember the way he had looked at her in the ballroom. Trying to cling to those small shreds of wonder, she carefully

tried to piece it together, only to have what little was there dissipate. The smoke of her memories of the room, seemed to filter their way up into her mind,

and settle into a dark corner, not to be disturbed. Sadly, she whispered his name before closing her eyes, thinking, naively, that if she thought about him

hard enough before she fell asleep, she would be able to recreate that wonderful time in the ballroom.


End file.
